Smelting-furnace.



J. s. LODER.

SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLIUATION FILED. AFB. 4, 1908.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wi/tmaooe J. S. LODER.

SMELTING FURNACE. APPLIOATION FILED ABBA, 1908. 948,098 Patented Feb.1,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. LODER, F RENO, NEVADA, ASSIGNOR T o LODER SHELTER &

OF RENO, NEVADA, A CORPORATION OF NEVADA.

BEFINER (30.,

SMELTING-FURNACE.

arenas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. LODER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reno, in the county of Washoe and State of Nevada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in smelting-Furnaces, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates 'to the smelting of ores andhas articularreference to the vertical type of urnace. It embodies a vertical furnaceof novel construction which is not heated by solid fuel of any which hasthe fuel su plied in fluid form through burners near tli e bottom of thefurnace. The'fuel as well as all of the air used to support combustionis supplied under high pressure and results in supporting the ore 1n thefurnace above the combustion space.

My invention includes this novel process of operating furnacesof thevertical type.

Some of the broad features of my invention are disclosed in myapplication 335,094, tiled SeptemberlS, 1906. 4

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end View partly in sectionof a furnace embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of thefurnace; and Fig. 3 is a detail of the burner.

My furnace embodies an upper section made up of the vertical refractorywalls 1 which are built in the usual way, and which are supported on theangle irons 2 carried by the pillars 3. This upper section has an outlet5 for products of combustion and an inlet door 4 for the admission oftheore to be treated. Below the lower open end of the upper sectionthere is'placed a funnelshaped lower section 6 made of metal andprovided with double walls havin a space between them to receive acoolin fluid such as water. The upper end of this funnelshaped sectionfits closely against the angle bars 2, and therefore constitutes acontinuation of the walls of the upper section. The

inner wall of the funnel-shaped section has a shoulder or bulge 7 at thepoint Where the tapered portion joins the straight sidedportion. Thisshoulder 7 projecting into the furnace assists in supporting the ore atthat point.

The bottom of the funnel-shaped section is supported on a plate 8, whichplate is covered within the furnace by refractory material 9, and thisconstitutes the floor of the furnace on which the melted materiallowerpart.

kind, but

.that consequently the section 6 may be clamped ti htly between thatplate and the bottom of t e upper section. It will further be noted thatthis construction produces a furnace which is practically air-tight atits Below the shoulder 7 burners 12 enter the furnace, and .theseburners are supplied with gas for reducin by ipes 13 and with oil fornatteing throug pipes 14. The air necessary to support combustion issupplied through pipes 15, and it is to be understood that meansareprovided for supplying the fuel and the air to said pipes under highpressure ranging from thirty to sixty pounds to the square inch.

At the bottom of section 6 and on a level with the bottom of the furnacethere is a pipe 16 extending throu h the double walls constituting anoutlet fhr the melted material witliin the furnace. Constituting acontinuation of this pipe there is a water cooled extension 17 U-shapedin vertical transverse sect-ion which registers with the inlet opening18 of the outside car 19. This car 19 is mounted on wheels 20 so that itmay be easily removed for purposes of repair, and it is also providedwith a spout 21 at the top for the discharge of slag. A water cooleddischarge opening 22 for the melted metal is provided in the side of thecar. The Water for cooling the section 6 and the discharge spouts issupplied through the main pipe 23 and branches 24, 25 and 26, and theWater which has been heated is led away by the branches 27,28 and 29.The pipes 25 and 28 may be flexible so as to permlt movement of thereceptacle 19 or they may be provided with joints which are easilydisconnected. It will be understood that the outlets 16 and 22 are to beclosed in the usual way such as by the use of clay. It will also beunderstood that the burners 12 may be made adjustable as in my priorapplication.

The particular. form of furnace shown is long and comparatively thin andis similarly constructed on both sides, having the same inlets andoutlets.

In operation the ore char ed into the upper part of the furnace stri esthe inclined portion of the section 6 and the shoulder 7 burners 12. Itis apparent that by this structure and methoo of operation there is afree combustion space in the bottom of the furnace immediately beneaththe ore, so that the flame plays on the'bottom of the ore graduallymelting the ore, which at once falls to the floor 9. 'By this meanscombus-.

tion is localized where the operator may observe its operation throughthe sight opening, and may control it with great accuracy. This accurateregulation and means for observing the condltion of the material at alltimes is not possible where solid fuel is used in the furnace, sincethat fuel is distributed over a larger area and the flame extends forsome distance up the furnace. The use of as as fuel furthermore avoidsthe noxious umes and gases which result from burning solid fuel infurnaces of this kind.

While the use of gas as the fuel has obvious advantages in the verticaltype of smelting furnaces it was not possible to use it practically inthe lower part of the furnace until means had been devised forsupporting the ore'above it, leaving a free comustion-space. Furthermoreeven where the ore was supported above the burner the apparatus wasliable tobecome choked by the melted metal, and it was to avoid thesedifficulties that the present system and method of operation under highpressure in a closed furnace was devised.

.By drawing off the melted ores into the receptacle outside of thefurnace and allow-, ing them to settle and separate there I avoid theobjectionable agitation which necessarily takes place if it is attemptedto perform the separation within the furnace.

. Having thus'described the invention, what is claimed is: I

1. The combination in a vertical smelting furnace having a normallyclosed bottom adapted to receive and maintain gas under pressure, ofinwardly inclined sections of the walls of said furnace above thebottom, a shoulder or bulge at the bottom of said inclined sections,burners below said bulge, and means for supplying air and fuel to saidburners under pressure.

2. In a smeltin furnace the combination with vertical re ractory wallshavin an inlet for material and an outlet for pro nets of combustionnear the top, of an inwardly tapering double walled metal continuationof said refractory walls, means for sup lying a cooling fluid betweensaid double we 5, an inwardl extending bulge on the inner wall at thebottom of said tapering portion, a closed combustion chamber below saidbulge, burners discharging into said combustion chamber, and means forsupplying air and gas under pressure to said burners.

3. A vertical smelting furnace having a tapering lower portion providedwith an inwardly projecting bulge or shoulder at the bottom of said taerin portion, an outlet for the products of com ustion at the upper partof said furnace, means for'supplymg ore. thereto, a parallel-sided airtight combustion chamber below said bulge provided with a floor forreceiving molten metal, burners extending into said combustion chamber,pipes for supplying air and as to said burners under pressure in sucient quantity to support combustion, and means for drawing oil themolten material from the bottom of said combustion chamber.

4. A vertical smelting furnace having an inwardly tapering double-walledlower ortion, means for supplying a coolin fiui between saiddouble-walls, an inward y extending bulge on the inner wall at thebottom of said tapering portion, a combustion chamber below said bulge,and means for supplying fuel to said chamber.

5. A vertical smeltin furnace having an inwardly tapering doub e-walledlower ortion, means for supplying a cooling flui between said doublewalls, an inwardly extending bulge on the inner wall at the bottom ofsad tapering portion, an air-tight combustion chamber below said bulge,burners discharging into said combustion chamber, and means forsupplying air and gas under pressure to said urners.

-In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. LODER.

